The World of XPLabs

(Francesco)

(apex)

After a number of years working with development processes in teams, I discovered Extreme Programming in 1999. XP was a new and effective way for resolving problems. That’s when I got the idea for a company organized on XP principles to bring out the maximum potential in software development.

In September 2000 I founded XPLabs as an authentic “XP” lab: a place to produce software, conduct applied research, experiment, innovate and scientifically observe XP; a place where change was always possible, a jumping off point for the next step.

In ten years XPLabs has created new businesses, new teams, new interests and a new way of doing business: our next step forward.

This new way of doing business requires a new mission and company organization. Once again, we have decided to make a change: a new name, a new organization and way of working, taking to heart what we have learned from XPLabs.

Ten Years Applying Extreme Programming

A Home for XP

In the spring of 2000 we started renovating a farmhouse in the country about 30
miles from Rome. Using XP. Yes, the first XP course was given on request to the team of
architects who worked on the renovation. They were amazed when they found out
how well this "strange" method worked.

The center, featuring work spaces and a library of over 2500 books on the various themes of software engineering, has hosted students, interns and teams
housed on site, enabling a first hand experience of applying of "pure" XP.

The center organized events like XPLabs Open Day and facilitated opportunities
to meet leaders from the world of software such as Ward Cunningham and Joshua
Kerievski.

Taking Xtreme Programming a step beyond.

The primary goal of XPLabs was to apply XP to real-life projects; to make observations
and then to make improvement happen.

XPLabs wanted to put together a top notch team of young developers with a systematic
turnover: this was the start of the Bees Team. For ten years the team has been
the vehicle for the enthusiasm and dedication of the students who poured their
efforts into working internships of six months or a year.

The goal of the Bees Team was to create software with ROI and the highest level
of quality. The team worked on products for the mass consumer market and development
support. The Bees Team also contributed to the developing and refactoring of
other companys’ applications – ranging from banking to telecommunication, business
applications and process control.

Enable Teams to Choose the Next Step

In ten years XPLabs has contributed to the building and growth of many,
many European teams through mentoring and coaching activities.
Hundreds of team members recall having experienced Francesco’s
famously challenging "thermometer" exercise for self-assessment :-)

XPLabs has always passed on to its clients the knowledge about developing
projects and products that it built up by observing and learning along
the way.

Our company was able to initiate pioneering activities in the teams of those
companies that were the first to believe in our capabilities to go beyond
XP. XPLabs is especially grateful for the vote of confidence given us by
IMI Bank, Sun Microsystems, GMTechnologies and ICTechnologies.